To Find What Cannot Be Found
by Kagehoshi Shadowstar
Summary: No longer weak She has become a prize any man or demon would be proud to claim.
1. At a Glance

To Find What Cannot Be Found  
By Kagehoshi  
Ch 1 At a glance

*Disclaimer- I do not own the characters of Inu Yasha or Yu Yu Hakusho*

If you were to glance at him, one would most definitely say the youth was sleeping. He was lying flat upon the school roof, his eyes were closed, and his arms were comfortably tucked under his head. However, if you were to approach him, in the attempt to wake him up, almost instantly the youth's chocolate brown eyes would shoot open and snap to you. Knowing the youth he would then most probably say something incredibly rude, and you most certainly would take offence. Yet, now he remained in a relaxed state, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even.

If you were to take a closer look at the slumbering youth, you would notice that his ebony hair was slicked back with liberal amounts of grease in what could only be called a yakuza style. You might also note that his green uniform was most definitely_ not_ school regulation. And if you were to take an even closer look you would see the deep scarring around his knuckles and hands. Taking all of this information in you would probably assume that this youth was a punk… and you would be right.

However, Yusuke Urameshi was no ordinary punk. If fact he was quite special. Yusuke Urameshi did not waste his time with common street thugs. It would not really be fair on the part of the thugs. You see… Yusuke Urameshi fought demons.

If someone were to tell you that they fought demons for a living you would probably think they needed to be locked away in a nice padded cell. You would most likely state that there was no such thing as demons, and therefore it was completely unnecessary to fight them. Unfortunately, if you said this you would be wrong. For in fact, demons do exist, and quite often cause a great deal of trouble for the human race. Many times the only thing standing between us, and the entire destruction of the human race was the peacefully slumbering youth that has been the object of your scrutiny for the past several minutes.

Yet, as we watch Yusuke's supposedly peaceful morning is about to become quite dramatically a mess.


	2. Her Name?

To Find What cannt be Found  
By Kagehoshi  
ch 2 Her name?

*I don't own IY or YYH* 

No matter how you strained your hearing, you would not be able to hear the apparition approach you. Even if you knew he was coming, his entrance would have been a complete surprise. It would almost be as if he had just appeared out of nowhere to end up directly behind you and subsequently scare the bejeezus out of you. Such an occurrence could not be avoided on your part, since you are unfortunately greatly limited by your humanity. While the apparition that is sneaking up on you is not limited in that respect in the slightest.

Hiei is a demon, and a very powerful one at that. If you were to face him in battle it is most likely that you would be dead before you knew what was going on.

As we watch this silent apparition shall make his way to the sleeping youth.

"There had better be a very good reason you're getting me up from my nap, shorty." Yusuke said suddenly, not even bothering to rise from his relaxed position or even to open his eyes.

"Hn. Koenma wants us." Hiei replied in his usual monotone.

"Damn toddler. What does he want now?" Yusuke complained slowly and reluctantly rising from the sun warmed ground. Hiei was silent as the Spirit Detective loosened his muscles and worked the kinks out of his neck.

"Well let's go. I'm sure somebody's in need of an ass kicking."

In paintings of the Underworld King Enma is portrayed as a huge man with a bristling beard and smoke pouring out of his mouth. You will not see pictures of King Enma's son. Mostly because King Enma's son looks to be about 3 years old.

Koenma paced in his office sucking on his binky furiously, he shouldn 't really need to be worried this time. It wasn't as if he was sending them off on another difficult mission. This was like a vacation, they should be happy to get such an enjoyable assignment. However, the tiny ruler of Spirit Realm knew better. Anything that disrupted their daily lives was considered a nuisance and more often than not, his team took out their frustration on him. Why must they be so obstinate? Every mission he gave them was of the utmost importance, and despite the seemingly ease of this one, it probably ranked on the top three in order of importance.

Koenma jerked his attention towards the entrance to his office as a very irritated Detective banged the door open.

"There had better be an earth shattering crisis going on or else I'm hauling my ass back to sleep!" A quite obviously pissed Yusuke hollered at the diminutive prince, as he stalked into the room. Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara quickly followed him in a not as dramatic entrance.

"While it is not quite a crisis, it is most definitely earth shattering…or it could be if we don't do something about it now." Koenma stated firmly, intending to get Yusuke to take this seriously.

"Well better to get it over with now, rather than have a crisis on our hands later." Kurama said calmly, his emerald green eyes latched onto Koenma.

"What's the damn mission then toddler?" Yusuke grunted crossing his hands over his chest.

"It has come to our attention that a very powerful artifact has resurfaced in the human realm." Koenma began, ignoring Yusuke's 'toddler' remark.

"Artifact?" Kurama asked, his Kitsune nature coming to bear at the prospect of treasure involved.

Koenma nodded gravely, "The Shikon no Tama to be exact."

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked confused, but the two demons reacted strongly. Hiei frowned and fingered the hilt of his Katana thoughtfully, while Kurama widened his eyes in surprise and started blurting out questions.

"That's impossible, the Shikon no Tama was destroyed five hundred years ago." The fox stated, "Are you sure that is what you are sensing?"

Again the tiny prince nodded. "No doubt about it. The Jewel is back and even more powerful than before."

The two demons were silent at this announcement and Yusuke took this opportunity to butt in.

"Just what the hell is the Shikon no Tama?"

Koenma switched on the view screen, which displayed a picture of a small pink gem attached to a thin chain.

"The Shikon no Tama is an extremely sought after jewel, which has the ability to greatly increase the strength of any demon who possesses it. It's last guardian, a miko by the name of Kikyo, died 500 years ago and had it burned with her body. Now it has somehow returned to the modern era,"

"So all we gotta do is go and pick this thing up and bring it here then?" Kuwabara asked skeptically, "Seems kinda easy to me."

"It's not quite that easy," Koenma replied a little uneasily, "You see currently the gem resides inside the body of its current guardian, and it must remain there. Only a Miko of the highest virtue has the ability to keep the jewel purified so to remove it from her would mean for it to become tainted."

"So what the heck do you want us to do?" Yusuke asked beginning to become really pissed at the little demigod.

"In the past the current Guardian has quite ably defended the Shikon no Tama, easily defeating those demons who sought its power. However, the number of attacks on the Miko have increased dramatically in the past couple of months, and we have reason to believe that someone is going to be making a serious bid for the Jewel in the near future."

"Is it your intention to assign us to protect this guardian?" Kurama asked softly.

"Awww hell not another babysitting job." Yusuke groaned. Hiei made as if to leave, he didn't do babysitting.

"No, that is not my intention." Koenma replied firmly, "While it might solve the immediate problem it won't help much with the overall one. Even if this opponent is defeated it won't stop another one from rising up, or another one after that. The girl doesn't need a babysitter." Koenma swallowed, his death was near he could feel it, still he pressed bravely on, "The girl needs a mate, a powerful one."

Complete and utter silence met this statement as the Detective Team slowly absorbed the meaning of the sentence just uttered by their boss.

This time Hiei really did get up to leave as Yusuke and Kuwabara both began shouting at the same time.

"What the FUCK is your problem you sick twisted baby!!"

"I will not abandon my Yukina!"

This went on for several minutes as Koenma attempted to regain order.

"This isn't a request, this is a command. Nor do I expect you to force yourself on the girl. All I want is for you to meet her, try at least to make friends. We'll let nature take its course from there."

"You are expecting a little much." Kurama informed the diminutive ruler, "This girl is a Miko, what makes you think she will not purify us on the spot, let alone talk to us? Mikos and Demons are not known for getting along."

"This one is different, apparently she's made friends with some very powerful Demons. Including Lord Sesshomaru of the West, and Prince Kouga of the North. Her file also states that she was in love with a hanyou, but I'm not sure if that is correct her file seems a bit jumbled."

Kurama felt his interest spark, even his counterpart Youko seemed curious now. 'A Miko who can befriend Demons… how fascinating.'

"I would also like you to try and convince her to get some extra training at Genkai's." Koenma continued, "It couldn't hurt her, and at least she'll have the added protection of the temple wards around her."

"So all you want us to do is talk to her?" Kuwabara asked, "Nothing else?"

"For now that's all I ask. See if your interest sparks when you meet her. I'll be sending some others with you when you go to meet her."

"Others?" This from Kurama.

"Friends of yours actually, all very strong."

"So what's this chick look like anyway?" Yusuke asked bored out of his mind. Keiko may have dumped his ass because she was scared of his demon self, but that didn't mean he wanted another girlfriend. They were too much trouble in his mind.

"Oh of course, how forgetful of me." Koenma mumbled, fumbling for the screen remote. Pressing a button the picture of the Shikon disappeared to be replaced with the smiling face of a young girl about 16 or so.

The reaction was instantaneous, the girl was gorgeous and every male there recognized it.

'Never have I seen such exquisite beauty before.' Youko mused, and Kurama silently agreed with him. His interest was definitely sparked, and so was the interest of every other member of the team if he guessed correctly.

"Name?" Hiei grunted, confirming that the girl affected even the stoic fire youkai.

"Higurashi. Kagome Higurashi."


	3. Spreading Her Wings and Leaving the Nest

To Find What Cannot be Found  
by Kagehoshi  
Ch3 Spreading your wings and leaving the nest.

*same disclaimer*

If you were to meet Kagome Higurashi on the street, you would think her to be an ordinary young girl, albeit a very pretty one, but still ordinary. Yet, if you were to look into her shining sapphire eyes you would instantly notice the glint of flame and steel that dwelled within. And you would, most likely, be overwhelmed by the fierce spirit that very few people in this day and age possess. If you were to somehow strike up a conversation with this seemingly ordinary girl, it is highly probable that you would be amazed at the kindness and purity that poured from her being with every breath she took.

You see, Kagome Higurashi is _not_ an ordinary girl. Kagome Higurashi is a Priestess, a very very powerful one. She is also the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama, a gem of immeasurable power. Kagome Higurashi fights against demons, and she _never_ loses. Yet despite her dangerous life Miss Kagome Higurashi still manages to view the world with pure eyes.

While usually her lovely face was adorned with a bright smile, now a frown marred her beautiful visage. While it would be almost impossible for most people to tell, I can assure you with utmost certainty that Kagome Higurashi was worried, and she had good cause. In the past she would only have to worry about one demon attack a month at most, yet lately the number of demonic confrontations had increased dramatically. It seemed as if she couldn't get a break. There had been attacks three days in a row, the last one had happened during her bath. Kagome blushed as she recalled _that_ battle, fighting in nothing but a bath towel was definitely _not_ high on her list of things to do. She had ended up using way to much energy to defeat her opponent and it had taken her the rest of the day and the greater part of the next to recuperate, something that had never happened before. She sighed and fell back onto her bed. No doubt about it, she needed to train, and she needed to do it where there weren't any people. It was bad enough that she was constantly putting her family at risk with all the demons after her for the Shikon Jewel; she couldn't put innocent people who had no idea what was going on in danger as well.

Her mind made up Miss Kagome Higurashi began to plan. She would need a nice secluded place to train, somewhere far away from the city, yet would still be livable in.

'The forest is perfect.' she thought, 'besides all the trees make me feel peaceful.'

The young Priestess abruptly stood and went to her closet. Removing an old battered yellow backpack from the confines, she began to stuff it full of clothes and other articles she would need to survive. Her fevered packing halted slightly as she heard a warm voice calling out for her. She smiled then grimaced to herself. What was she going to tell her mother?

A mother's love can be a wonderful thing, as I am sure you know. Yet sometimes a mother's love can harm more than help. In the case of Kagome Higurashi's mother we see how a mother's love can refuse to see the reality of a situation.

"I can't stay here, I'm putting you all in danger." The young teenager's voice rang out.

"This is your home, we are your family. You can't just abandon us." An older richer voice rebutted.

"I'm not abandoning you, I'm just leaving to train and become stronger." Was the swift reply.

"And why can't you do that here?" The carrots that were to be a part of that evening's diner were savagely chopped into fine pieces.

"Because it puts you all in danger, if I can't even defend myself how can I protect you?"

The knife was put down forcibly and the older woman whirled around to face her young daughter.

"Who says we need your protection? You are only 16, still a baby. _My_ baby."

"No mother I am no longer a child." Was the soft reply.

Mrs. Higurashi stifled a sob. When had her little girl grown up? Looking at her daughter standing before her she finally had to admit to herself that she no longer recognized the young woman standing in her kitchen.

It is universally recognized that loving parents never realize when their children have grown up and are ready to leave the nest. Kagome Higurashi had been ready to leave for the past year, only loyalty to her family causing her to stay. This fact had, up until a short time ago, been completely unrecognized by Mrs. Higurashi. In all fairness though can we really blame her? After all it is not every Mother who looses her daughter to the Supernatural world. But the fact was unavoidable; her daughter had grown, and left her behind. It was time to let her go.

"How long will you be gone?" came the defeated reply.

"I'm not sure, a long time." Sapphire eyes met with Chocolate.

"Please come back to us, to me."

"I love you Mama."

So it was that Kagome Higurashi stood in the forest after having made camp near a flowing river. The spot was similar to one she had used often in her adventures in the Feudal era, about a days travel from Kaede's village. The spot brought back memories both good and bad, and they caused the young girl to sigh deeply. We will leave the Priestess to her thoughts now, as I'm sure she wishes to be left alone.


	4. The Rest Arrive

To Find What Cannot be Found  
by Kagehoshi  
Ch4 The Rest Arrive

*Disclaimer-same*  
*Note*  
So I know at least 7 people have read this story so far, and I'm kinda excited. Demon's purity, xbabiixbabox, LeafeKnight7, -Yuna's Reincarnation-1, SuicidalxDolly, ShadowLover18, and ShadowFoxMoon thank you sooo much for the reviews. This chapter is dedicated to you.

********

Kazuma Kuwabara was not an idiot, though should you ask his companions this you would most certainly get a different answer. Nor is Kazuma Kuwabara a mindless thug, though you would most likely disagree with me, were you to review his past. Kazuma Kuwabara is a good person, living by a very strict code of honor. This is a young man who lives by the power of his heart. Very few people have the inner strength necessary to do this, and I for one am impressed.

Kuwabara looked up at the picture of the girl as the others continued their discussion with Koenma. He felt sorry for her, unable to live a normal life, forced to guard a jewel that brought nothing but sorrow, not even given a choice in her destiny. He had chosen to fight demonic forces, she had been given no such choice. In the picture her face was smiling, yet it did not reflect in her eyes. He continued to look up at her as a knock was heard on the door and Koenma's personal assistant Ogre, George, walked followed by…

"Oiy! Jin! Touya! What the hell are you guys doing here?" Yusuke blurted out, completely ignoring Koenma as he continued to speak.

"We're here for the same reason you are Urameshi." Touya replied calmly, "We are here for the Priestess."

"You are the 'others' Koenma spoke of?" Kurama seemed surprised, "Is this another bid for the sunlit lands?"

"Tha's par' o' it." Jin answered, "but the lass is quite a catch on her own, I wouldna' mind havin' her around to protect." The wind demon grinned and twitched his ears.

"Has anybody talked to her yet?" Kuwabara suddenly asked, the others paused in their deliberations to look at the human psychic as he brought his attention back to Koenma.

"Whaaa…?" was the youthful prince's brilliant reply.

"Has anybody gone and asked her what she thought of all this? Does she know we're coming?"

The others in the room were shocked to hear something so intelligent come out of Kuwabara's mouth and seemed to have a hard time processing what he said. Kurama was the first to recover.

"He has a valid point has any previous contact been made with the girl?"

Koenma fidgeted nervously behind his desk. "Well see here's the thing."

"Oh great now we find out she's in some parallel dimension where we have to go beat up carnivorous squirrels or something." Yusuke muttered to himself. Ignoring him Koenma continued on.

"She's managed to give us the slip. Her residence is listed as Sunset Shrine in Tokyo, but it doesn't seem as if she's there anymore." The tiny God rifled through some papers on his desk, "she hasn't been sighted for quite some time and frankly we're a little worried."

"Let me guess." Hiei finally spoke up, "Part of our job is to find the wench."

"No, that won't be necessary I've already got people out looking for her. However, they are instructed to discover her whereabouts and report to me directly."

"Which means…?" Touya prodded

"Which means that your group will be the first to actually contact her." Koenma finished, "Do try not to frighten her, she might end up purifying you by accident and we can't have that."

Yusuke took in a deep breath in order to really let Koenma have it but once again he was interrupted by a knock on the door. This time it was Botan who bounded into the office with her usual energy.

"Koenma sir, wonderful news. We've located the Priestess!"

"Excellent Botan, your timing was perfect!"

"Thank you sir. Also the last of your guests has arrived. He's in the hallway."

"There's more people comin'?" Kuwabara asked, "Who else did you invite?"

"So where's the lovely Sheila who I've got ta protect?" A loud and slightly drunken slurred voice boomed out from the doorway.

"You've got to be kidding me." Yusuke mumbled covering his eyes with his hand. Hiei smirked and lightly moved out of the way as Chuu stumbled into the office a look of bleary happiness on his face.

"Oi, Urameshhhi. Are you goin' after the Sheila too? I'll fight ya for her!" The large demon got into a fighting stance ready to go at it in Koenma's office. The diminutive demigod had other ideas, however.

"That is enough! This is neither the time nor the place to get into a fight. Botan," Koenma turned his attention back to the ferry girl, "You said the Priestess's location had been discovered?"

"Yes Koenma sir, a large amount of Holy power was detected in the forest on the outskirts of the city. Our agents went in to investigate and the Priestess's campsite was discovered. Once visual was confirmed they immediately reported back to Reikai."

"Excellent, excellent. You are able to portal to the Priestess's location then?"

"Not her exact location no, she never really stays put and her aura blends into the forest ki too much so I can only get her general whereabouts." Botan managed to look somewhat apologetic as she faced the group of Detectives.

"It will have to do, get them to the forest. I'm sure they will be able to sense her once they get there." Koenma said firmly.

"Yes Sir!" The ferry girl pulled out her oar and hopped on, "Come on then let's get going!" And with that she opened up a portal and flew through. With varying degrees of enthusiasm the others followed.

On the other side the Ningenkai was cold and windy. They came out in a small clearing with barely enough room for all of them and surrounded by large trees. The sky, from what they could see of it, was grey and cloudy.

"Well here you are." Botan chirped cheerfully, "I got you as near as I could figure, who knows where she is now? Good Luck!" and with that the overly happy fairy of death zoomed back into the portal, which closed with a snap behind her.

"What lovely weather." Touya commented sarcastically, looking up at the darkly cast sky.

"Shhhhh man, don't jinx us." Kuwabara cautioned, "If you talk about it, it might you know…" He gestured skywards.

"What? Rain?" Jin questioned. No sooner had the wind demon spoken then the heavens opened up and let loose their fury upon the Earth.

"Figures." A soaking Hiei ground out.

********

Tee Hee. Review if you love me!


	5. Primal Urge

To Find What Cannot be Found  
by Kagehoshi  
Ch 5 Primal Urge

If you were ever given the privilege of meeting this individual, whether male or female, you would look twice. If you were female and straight you would probably look a third and fourth time as well, then subtly check to make sure your hair looked all right, and all your buttons were buttoned. The individual of this discussion was just too pretty for his own damn good, and he knew it. That fact is that when this young man walked down the street, young girls would walk into phone poles and grown women, who should have known better, would start drooling. This young man was a fox…in more ways than one. Shuuichi Minamino was a Kitsune, and not the cute fuzzy kind you see in children's books. He was more along the line of the drop dead sexy fantasies you would never share with anyone else. In his human form he was exotic and pretty, with long red hair and vibrant green eyes. In his Kitsune form he was the epitome of sex and forbidden dreams. Kurama to his friends, Minamino-sama to his admirers, this young man could knock any female (and several males) off their feet with just a look.

Now however, he was dripping soaking wet along with everyone else in his group. He wasn't really adverse to the rain, it helped the plants to grow, and in some cases could be quite refreshing. However, this rain was icy cold and when coupled with thunder and lighting and gale force winds, which knocked him around like a paper kite, it was most uncomfortable. Still he pressed on, through slippery mud and wet leaves, following an irate Yusuke and an equally irate Hiei in the trees. Suddenly the group paused as they all felt a flash of Holy power off in the distance.

"Gah! Finally the filly is letting herself be known. I was gonna drown out here before we got ta' her." Jin exclaimed shaking the rainwater out of his eyes.

"Hiei, have you got a lock on her?" Yusuke yelled up to the fire youkai, hoping that he had used his Jagan to find her.

"Hn. She is not too far a few miles to the north." He dropped from the trees to land in front of the miserable spirit detective.

"Let's go then I want to get this mission over with." Kuwabara stated, vigorously rubbing his arms trying to gain some warmth. Wordlessly Hiei set off into the forest setting a pace that would allow the others to follow him, but would guarantee that they would remain a good distance behind.

And so it was that Hiei was the first to come upon the elusive Priestess. The forest ended abruptly near a rocky outcropping which reached higher then any of the trees surrounding it. The sight that met his eyes took his breath away, and as the others moved up to join him at the edge of the trees he could tell that they too were moved.

She stood on the rock her bare feet braced apart, her head tilted slightly up and her pale arms opened wide as if embracing the storm that raged around her. Tendrils of her raven hair clung to her white face, and her grey shirt and black pants were plastered to her body as the rain poured down from the sky, showing off every curve of her form. The rest of her waist length hair whipped around her figure, tossed by the tempest winds racing by her. Thunder roared and lightning flashed, yet her face held a kind of rapturous joy, as if the anger of the heavens was something to be celebrated. Tipping her head back further she cried out into nature's fury.

"Rage Storm! And wash it all away!" Her cry was lost, however, as the wind took her voice and blew it to the far corners of the earth.

In every human there is a primal side waiting to be unleashed. Though we try to deny it and claim that we are now civilized, it is known, deep in our hearts, that this is not true. In demons that primal side is not so far away, nor is it denied so fervently. The sight of the priestess before them, screaming into the raging storm, drove those with demonic and human blood alike to the edge of all reason. So that now they all fought for self-control, before they took her where she stood and claimed her as their own. The amount of tension that filled the group permeated the air like a fog. Even the woman, who was a great distance away, must have sensed something, for at once she lowered her arms and turned to face the direction in which they were hiding.

A flash of lightning streaked across the darkened sky and when the light had faded from their eyes the Priestess was no longer in sight.

"Oy, Where'd she go?" Chuu questioned straining his eyes into the distance trying to discover the missing girl.

"Friend or foe?" The voice that echoed out from the forest behind them was at once incredibly musical and startlingly strong. In surprise the group whipped around towards the source of the voice and became face to face with the very girl they sought.

'I didn't even sense her coming up behind me' Kurama thought, 'how incredible'

'This one is most definitely worthy to become our mate.' Yoko echoed in his head. Kurama arched an eyebrow in surprise.

'Mate? Shouldn't we at least talk to her first? I don't think she'll appreciate having such a big decision made for her.'

The Kitsune scoffed mentally.

'As if any female could resist us. She will be ours.'

'Hn. Will you two be silent!' Hiei's voice echoed in Kurama's head and the fox shot a surprised look to the Koorime male. 'She has asked us a question Fox, someone should answer.'

Indeed for the past minute and a half the group of males had only stared stupidly at the girl before them, her question barely sinking in and remaining unanswered.

"We are friends." Kurama spoke up smoothly, "Sent here on a mission from the Spirit Realm." Her sapphire blue eyes snapped to him and he felt his breath catch at the amount of strength and sorrow reflected in those blue pools.

"Koenma's team?" Once again that voice floated round the clearing causing the males to shudder in joy.

"You know of Koenma?" Kurama asked in surprise.

"I am aware of that incompetent toddler, and the team he uses to constantly clean up his messes."

With this Yusuke let out a bark of laughter, which caused Kagome to switch her attention to him.

"I like you already. You're my kind of girl." At this announcement Kagome raised an eyebrow in mild surprise and smiled slightly. Kuwabara chose this moment to sneeze quite loudly, and everybody turned to him at once.

"What?" He said sheepishly, "I'm cold."

A soft laughter sounded and the males once again turned to face the young priestess, whose expression was much warmer now.

"Come with me, we will continue this discussion once you are all dry. I've been around demons with a cold before and it's not pleasant." Turning swiftly the girl blended into the darkness of the forest and the soaking crowd of men eagerly followed her, anxious to be out of the rain.

She led them to an opening in the rock face below, and pushing aside a tarp motioned them all to enter. The seemingly small opening widened out considerably into a large cavern, which had obviously been used by Kagome as a hideaway for quite some time. Though it was pitch dark the priestess moved swiftly and surely towards the center of the cavern and a few minutes later a fire was roaring in a sort of sunken pit in the center of the floor. Soon the dank cave was filled with the warm glow of firelight and the comforting heat, which did much to relieve their shivering. Pointing to a long piece of rope secured somewhat close to the flame Kagome spoke up.

"You can hang some of your clothing up there. I have a few extra blankets, but not enough to go around."

None of the males moved and Kagome tilted her head in confusion. "Aren't you guys cold? It can't be comfortable in all those wet clothes."

"It's not right getting undressed in front of a girl." Kuwabara muttered blushing slightly. Kagome's eyes widened in shock and she blushed an even darker shade then Kuwabara.

"I didn't mean 'get naked', I just meant you could take off your shirts and jackets in order to dry them off faster and warm up a little. You can't sleep in wet clothes it's not healthy." Kagome moved to the side and rummaged around in a large yellow bag. She pulled out several large blankets and handed them out, "You can wrap yourselves in these until your clothes dry out." Going back to the bag she pulled out some extra clothes and a small towel. "I'll go around the corner and change while you guys get comfortable." With that she disappeared down a corridor and left them alone. Kuwabara wasted no time in peeling off his jacket and undershirt and flinging them over the line, Yusuke's top followed; soon various clothing was decorating the line as the group of men discarded their wet things. Only Hiei remained fully clothed, as he had merely raised his body temperature until his clothing was dried from the inside out.

"Bloody little fire sprat." Chuu muttered under his breath and Hiei smirked to himself behind the cloud of steam surrounding him.

"Are you guys decent?" Kagome's voice echoed out from behind a wall.

"We're never decent." Yusuke called out jokingly, "But we're all covered up if that's what you want to know."

Laughing to herself and blushing slightly Kagome came out from behind the wall dressed in flannel pants and a thick t-shirt. Her long hair had been wrapped up in the towel and her skin had a slight pinkish tint to it.

"Would you like some tea? It'll help to warm you up some." Her voice was hesitant as if not sure exactly what to do.

"Tea would be most welcome." Kurama spoke in a soothing manner, trying to put the nervous girl at ease. He could tell that she was not used to being near so many people anymore.

As Kagome busily moved to get the tea ready, the group of men silently observed her. In the firelight they could see how delicate the young priestess seemed, yet they could also sense the underlying power that dwelt in her form. The thing that shocked them most however, was her scent. She smelled of Rain and moonlight, and unrelenting unimaginable purity. It wrapped around their senses and brought such a sense of peace to them that they nearly forgot why they were there. Swiftly Kagome handed out the steaming mugs of tea and, grabbing one for herself settled down near the fire.

"So you said you were sent here by the Spirit Realm? What for? And may I ask who you all are?"

"I, beautiful lady, am the Great Kazuma Kuwabara, and we were sent here to protect you." Kuwabara took a deep breath as if to continue on, but Yusuke elbowed him in the stomach and spoke up instead.

"That's actually only part of the reason we came. Koenma wants to know if you would be willing to take some extra training with Genkai for a while. Oh and I'm Yusuke Urameshi by the way."

"Training?" Kagome questioned curiously.

"Koenma feels that with the recent increase in attacks for the Shikon Jewel, someone is going to be seriously coming for it in the near future and he wishes for you to have some additional protection and training to help protect it." Kurama explained.

"I see… And you are?"

"You may call me Kurama."

"Hello there, I'm Jin. It's very nice to meet you it is. My ears have been twitching ever since I heard about you."

"Hello Jin, it's nice to meet you as well." Kagome smiled over her mug, the boisterous wind youkai cheering her immensely.

"Beautiful Sheila," Chuu cast off his blanket and got on bended knee before her, "My name is Chuu and I want you to be my girl." He stated clasping her hand in his.

"Errrr… Hehhm." Kagome coughed nervously and blushed furiously averting her eyes from his bare chest.

"Let her go baka." Hiei spoke up. Kagome turned her eyes to him silently questioning him for his name. "Hn." Was all that was uttered before turning away to face the entrance.

"That's Hiei." Yusuke answer her unspoken question, "He doesn't talk much."

Kagome turned to the last one, a blue haired youkai with aqua eyes.

"And you?"

"I am Touya, Kagome-sama. I am honored to meet you." He bowed slightly and Kagome bowed back, still smiling softly.

"Well I guess you all know who I am already." Kagome laughed, "But please just call me Kagome, I'm not one for formality." She was silent for a moment and took in the large group before speaking again, "I still wonder why so many of you were sent? Is it really that boring in the Spirit Realm?"

"We were sent to protect you, Lady Kagome." Kurama answered, "Your safety is paramount, besides the fact that you hold the Shikon no Tama, you are also the only known being with Holy power to exist in this era."

Kagome's eyes flashed with deep-seated pain, so fast that they weren't even sure it had happened.

"Oh." She let out in a small voice, then frowning to herself she looked up with her usual cheerful expression and spoke up again, "So what's this Genkai person like? I want to know something about the person who's going to be training me."

"Does that mean you'll agree to the training?" Touya asked in surprise.

"Of course, the whole reason I came out here was to train. Why would I pass up formal training from somebody who obviously knows a lot more than I do?"

"Kagome you are in for a whole lot of hell." Yusuke grumbled darkly.


	6. Breaking Out

To Find What Cannot be Found  
by Kagehoshi  
Ch 6 Breaking Out

This person was not one to trifle with. If you only trusted your eyes and tried to stir up trouble with this particular individual, thinking them helpless, you'd find yourself slammed up against something hard and unyielding. And wishing fervently that you had listened to your mother when she told you to respect your elders. Big things come in small packages, and you couldn't get much smaller than Genkai. For years her name had struck fear in the hearts of Demon and Human alike, and the passage of time had not diminished her fearsome nature in the slightest.

Like a Queen surveying her Kingdom, Genkai stood on the roof of her temple and viewed the surrounding lands. As far as her eyes could see, the land belonged to her, belonged to the temple. The spiritual power radiating from the forest and fields called to creatures that had been chased out of the modern world, and lent them a haven in which to live.

Yet Genkai knew she was growing old and that if she did not find someone to take over the temple soon, it would fall to the Modern world as so many other Holy places had. The idiot may be heir to her fighting techniques, but she would rather screw Koenma than leave the temple in his care. A priestess was needed, preferably a strong one. She took a drag on her cigarette and slowly released the smoke from her lungs, then she smiled, perhaps all was not lost.

Botan had come several hours ago and had relayed a request from Koenma. The little sprat had asked if she would be willing to train a young Priestess. A Priestess who just so happened to be the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama. Smirking to herself Genkai took another drag on her cigarette; this was one request Genkai had been glad to agree to. If this young Priestess was who she thought, the one from the ancient scrolls, then Genkai would be honored to train her. Now if only that dimwit would hurry up and bring her.

Nobody likes stairs. Be honest with yourself, you know you don't. No matter how in shape or athletic you are, stairs are still the bane of all mankind. At this moment Kagome Higurashi despised stairs. They taunted her, making her think they weren't that bad…until you tried to climb the damn things. You would think she would be used to stairs by now, the Higurashi shrine having its own impressive set of the damn things. However, the set of stairs at Genkai's temple put those to shame. They just didn't end. Kagome continued to make her way up the stone steps huffing and puffing as she bulled her way up to the top. She was thankful that Chuu had offered to carry her bag for her; she didn't think she would have made it if she had had to carry such a heavy load.

"If you're tired I can carry you." Kagome slid her eyes over to the cocky bastard who walked easily next to her, not even sweating or breathing hard.

"No thank you, if I can't even handle some stupid stairs then how will I handle some serious training?" The jerk grinned and shook his head.

"You won't need to worry about that, you're going to come to know these stairs intimately in the near future." He looked over at her as she continued to climb upwards, "Are you sure you wanna go through with this? I'm sure you could train elsewhere." Inwardly he grinned as she narrowed her eyes and started climbing the stairs more vigorously.

"You said so yourself, that Genkai was the best teacher you ever had. That it was her training that made you strong." Kagome pumped her legs faster, as her emotions begin to fuel her tiring body, "I want to become stronger. Strong enough to protect myself, so that I won't ever have to be rescued again." She was almost running up the stairs now, "I will be strong, and I WILL protect the jewel and fulfill my responsibility!"

"That's a very good attitude, I can tell you'll be a lot better student than the dimwit."

The rough voice broke through Kagome's fervent thoughts, and she realized that she was at the top of the stairs. Turning quickly she faced the source of the voice and was confronted by a small woman smoking a cigarette.

"Master Genkai?" Kagome queried softly, not sure how to react.

"Yes, that would be me. You would be Kagome then?" Genkai inhaled deeply as she studied the girl, at her nod Genkai continued, "You've got a lot of potential, I hope you're not a slacker like my idiot apprentice."

Ignoring Yusuke's loud protests, Kagome shook her head.

"That is one aspect you don't have to worry about. I'll work myself to death if it means I can learn to protect myself."

"Excellent, I might just ask you to do that." Genkai tossed her used cigarette to the side and walked towards the large building in the background, "Come along I'll show you to your room, as soon as you settle in we shall begin." Kagome followed eagerly, stopping momentarily to take her bag from Chuu.

The temple was old, and Kagome could practically taste the power that radiated from its ancient walls. The musky scent of scrolls and books combined with sacred incense met her nose as soon as she entered the old building. The highly polished wood seemed to glow in a warm welcome as the young priestess followed the old psychic down the hallways. Genkai stopped before a door and gestured Kagome inside.

"This will be your room while you stay here. You can put your clothes on the shelves there. Put your bag down for now, I'll show you the rest of the temple."

Kagome complied, gratefully dropping the heavy bag upon the wooden floor. Genkai moved swiftly through the ancient building, Kagome trailing behind her trying to memorize the complex interior. Genkai pointed out the Library, the great hall where the shrine to the Buddha rested, several indoor practice rooms and finally…

"And here's the kitchen." Genkai concluded the tour. Kagome was surprised when she stepped into a surprisingly modern room, complete with microwave and stove. The guys were gathered here lounging around and cramming snacks into their mouths. Kagome noticed a blue-haired female youkai amongst the group of men, and smiled warmly when she caught her attention.

"Oh hello, you must be Kagome." The pretty demon-girl gushed happily, "My name is Yukina. I'm so glad you've decided to stay awhile, it will be nice to have some extra female company."

Kagome smiled and took the girl's hand in hers.

"I'm sure we'll be good friends, you seem to have a kind heart." Yukina blushed and bowed slightly.

"I hope so, if you need anything at all don't hesitate to ask. I try to help out around here as much as possible. In fact I was about to do some laundry so if you have any clothes that need washing…" Yukina trailed off as Kagome shook her head.

"That's okay my clothes got a good washing yesterday."

"I hope you brought clothes appropriate for hard training." Genkai spoke up after having observed the interaction between the two younger females.

"Of course?" Kagome asked slightly confused, "What else would I have brought with me?"

"The dimwit trained in his school uniform for months before it finally fell apart." Genkai replied smirking in amusement at the memory of Yusuke busting his pants open in the middle of a sparing exercise. Kagome blanched and shook her head vehemently.

"My school uniform is most definitely NOT something I will train in!"

Yusuke snorted from his place at the kitchen table.

"I wouldn't mind watching you train in one of those little mini skirts." He grinned as Kagome blushed brightly.

Genkai raised an eyebrow as she sensed the sudden sexual tension that filled the kitchen at Yusuke's announcement. 'This was going to be interesting' she thought.

"I'm going to go unpack now." Kagome squeaked, before running out the kitchen door, her face still beet red.

"I'll go help her." Yukina replied softly, quickly following the embarrassed girl out the door.

"Awwww you scared her away Urameshi." Jin grinned widely, his ears twitching erratically.

"Was it really necessary to bring up that particular imagery?" Touya asked, clearly annoyed.

"Pft! As if you weren't already thinking something similarly anyway." Yusuke replied, "Lets face it, after last night all of us want her bad."

"It's still her choice." Kurama responded, "To force her would only be to hurt her."

There was a silence as this was thought over by the group at large, that is until Chuu spoke up.

"Do ya think she ever will wear one 'a those little skirts?"

At this everyone groaned in frustration, and Genkai took this time to butt in.

"Listen up dimwits. If you get in the way of that girl's training, you won't have to worry about your hormones because I'll rip your balls off. At the end of the day she's all yours, but other than that you can all butt out!" And with that announcement Genkai spun on her heel and went off to the first training hall to ready it for Kagome.

"Well damn." Jin stated.

******

Kagome laughed as she talked with the ice demon beside her. Yukina truly was a wonderful person, and Kagome was glad to have met her. Having the girl with her here made Kagome feel a lot more comfortable with her surroundings. There was something familiar about the girl, almost as if she had met her before. Kagome had felt her aura and was quite surprised to discover that Yukina wasn't completely ice. 'Now where have I felt this before?' Kagome thought to herself as she finished putting the last of her things away.

"Is that everything?" Kagome turned to face Yukina as the young demoness glanced around the room.

"Yes, that's the last of it. I really only packed for camping and not much else. I'll have to see about a visit home to pick up some extra things, since I'll be staying here for awhile."

Yukina nodded her agreement and slid open the door to let Kagome out of the room. "You certainly need more clothes, you barely have any."

Kagome laughed as she followed the Ice apparition back to the kitchen. As soon as she entered, she noticed Hiei standing in the corner. Her eyes widened with sudden realization as she looked between Yukina and Hiei. Hiei had noticed her shock, as well as Yusuke and Kurama. Kagome was totally oblivious to their tension as she opened her mouth in surprise.

"Oh! Why didn't you tell me Hiei was…" Her exclamation was cut off as Kagome suddenly felt herself caught around the middle and dragged away at a speed that made her head spin.

"You will not mention this information to my sister." Kagome heard someone speaking, but she was still so dazed she hadn't quite gotten it. She closed her eyes and steadied herself against the wall in the hallway.

"Whaaa…?" She managed intelligibly as she looked up at a glowering Hiei.

"You will not mention our relationship to Yukina." He repeated firmly.

"You mean she doesn't know?!" Kagome asked shocked

"No she does not. And she never will."

"But, why?" Kagome was confused, how could Yukina not know Hiei was her brother, and how could he keep such important information from such a gentle girl.

Hiei had realized he had made a mistake as soon as he had touched the girl. Her scent had driven him crazy when she was a distance from him, but when coupled with the feel of her soft curves against his body Hiei nearly snapped. But he had panicked when he realized that Kagome had figured it out, so he had done the first thing that came to his mind and removed her threat elsewhere. Now she was standing so close to him and demanding to know why he was keeping his sister in the dark about their relationship. Maybe he should tell the young Priestess why. If he managed to scare her, she would avoid him and then maybe he could regain control of his body. Placing his hands on the wall, he trapped the startled young girl between his arms. Leaning over her he ground out.

"Because I am not worthy of her." Kagome drew in a surprised gasp and Hiei pressed onwards, "I am the Forbidden Child, from my birth I was cast out to die. In order to survive I have done horrible things, horrible terrible things, and I don't care. I am an evil person little Priestess and I have no wish to inflict that upon my sister." Hiei looked into the girl's eyes then, and drew back in surprise at what he saw reflected in her sapphire pools. Instead of fear or loathing, he saw understanding and acceptance in her eyes. He was so shocked that he did not even shy away when she reached out to cup his cheek.

"If you are really such an evil being, then why do you care for your sister so much?" She asked softly, and Hiei felt his breath catch in his throat as her soft hand stroked his face. Hiei fought for control, he wouldn't give in to his desire. The Forbidden Child needed no one. Yet she looked so tempting standing there looking at him with acceptance that he could not help himself.

Kagome gasped in surprise as she felt Hiei's arms wrap around her and draw her close. Hiei took full advantage of her surprise and slanted his mouth over hers in a soul-searing kiss. Kagome moaned as his tongue invaded her mouth and swept across her teeth, it was almost as if he was trying to devour her.

Hiei tightened his arms around her as he deepened the kiss. She tasted so clean and sweet and pure, that he couldn't seem to get enough of her.

"Didn't I warn you about what would happen if you interfered with her training?" The voice broke Hiei out of his trance and he broke the kiss, yet did not remove his arms from a now gasping Kagome, "If you're done with my student I'd like to start with her training." Genkai crossed her arms over her chest and leveled a steady stare at the fire youkai. Hiei glared back at the old psychic in frustration, but let go of the beet red Kagome and stepped back. Genkai humphed and motioned for Kagome to enter the room behind the aged fighter. Kagome looked quickly at Hiei, then moved to obey Genkai, who followed Kagome into the training hall. Hiei was left in the hallway alone, with Kagome's scent lingering on in his memory and the now empty hallway.

"Shit."

******************

Yay! I have fans! Please continue to read and review and I'll continue to write!


	7. Home is Where the Heart Lies part 1

To Find What Cannot be Found  
By Kagehoshi  
Ch7 Home is where my heart lies

Since the beginning of time, Mankind has sought to improve itself. Great cities and empires have been built, which have later crumbled into dust. Amazing scientific theories about the universe have been discovered, which have later been proven wrong. Complex battle tactics and advanced fighting techniques have been developed, which have since been made obsolete with the invention of weapons of mass destruction. And while Mankind has been doing all this women have sat back and watched them as they made asses of themselves. And no group of males in the history of the world (part 1) were making bigger asses of themselves then those currently staying at Genkai's Temple.

Genkai was going to die, she just knew it. Her sides were killing her and she couldn't take in a full breath. Chuu was currently trussed up like a Christmas turkey, hanging upside down and dangling from the eaves of her temple. Apparently someone had gotten angry at the large demon since he had taken Kagome out for a walk in the woods last night and managed to grope a feel when Kagome suspiciously tripped over a foreign object. The girl's outraged shriek had been heard for miles, as well as the resounding slap that followed soon after. The enraged Priestess had come storming out of the forest grumbling to herself about perverted groping drunkards and lack of 'tree roots'. Genkai took in a choked gasp as she tried to stop laughing hysterically. She wasn't sure how much longer she could take this. From the frozen boxer shorts to the mysterious outbreak of poison ivy in embarrassing places, her poor Temple seemed to have a sudden epidemic of strange happenings. Yet oddly, or maybe not so oddly, it had only been the males who were affected. The only one of the lot who had remained unaffected was Hiei, and considering the threats that had spewed out of the small fire apparition's mouth after the Spork Incident, it was quite understandable. Genkai wiped the tears out of her eyes and took in a deep soothing breath, but upon seeing the hapless Chuu's now bright pink Mohawk and new yellow hair ribbon she was soon cracking up all over again.

Kagome stepped onto the engawa (1) wearing a pair of loose blue silk pants and a matching sleeveless Chinese style top. Her hair was held back in a braid and she held a pair of fighting slippers and a sheathed Katana in her hand. She had a worried look on her face as she watched Genkai gasping for breath on the brightly polished wood.

"Genkai-sama?" Kagome queried softly, not quite sure what was going on. Genkai merely shook her head and still gasping, pointed towards the new decoration dangling from her roof. Kagome turned to stare down the engawa and twitched in surprise as she caught sight of the dangling demon in the distance. 'What the heck is that?!' Was the only thought that crossed her mind as she slowly approached the strange object. 'Chuu!?' Kagome's eyes widened at the sight of the bright pink hair and yellow hair ribbon. Reaching out she quickly turned him around so that he was facing both her and Genkai. As his face came into view Kagome reared back in shock and Genkai collapsed back to the ground once again in hysterical laughter. Chuu's mouth had been sealed shut with some strange plant like substance, but that was not what had caused such strong reactions from the two women. Chuu's lips had been painted a bright happy pink, which went lovely with his blue eye shadow and red blush. Genkai gasped and wheezed as she struggled to control her laughter, it was all too much she couldn't handle it anymore. Even Kagome let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like suppressed laughter. Drawing her sword Kagome leapt up and swiftly cut through the rope that held Chuu to the roof. The large male crashed to the ground with a grunt and Kagome did the best she could to help him remove his bindings. When he had managed to free himself from the mass of ropes wrapped about his body, Chuu stood and peeled the thin strip of gunk from between his lips, before turning back to Kagome and clasping her hands in his.

"Will you be my woman?" It was the same question he asked her every day, and while usually Kagome managed to fend him of easily with soft denials and easy jokes, today she was at a loss for words. Staring up into his face, which was now so close to her own, thanks to the help of the engawa, Kagome did the only thing she could in such a situation.

"Bwahahahahaha! Oh Gods Chuu please go wash that stuff off your face I can't take it anymore!" freeing her hands from the curious demon Kagome turned away quickly and bit the inside of her lip. 'Now was not the time to loose control.' She thought as she hurried down the long wooden porch. 'I'm late for my sword lesson.'

Chuu watched the girl as she quickly walked away from him, his face a mask of confusion.

"What's wrong with me face? Never had a problem with it before?"

Genkai had managed to get a hold of herself by this time and decided to enlightened the bewildered demon before her.

"I believe it's the over accessorizing that she has a problem with. Next time you might want to tone down on the eye shadow. Sometimes less is more." And with that Genkai turned on her heel and entered the temple, intent on a teacup full of steaming tea and heavily laced with sake(2).

Chuu cursed under his breath as he rushed to the nearest water source, intent on giving himself a good scrubbing before running into Kagome again.

Getting herself calmed down Kagome sat down on the edge of the engawa. Slipping on the fighting slippers, Kagome looked up when a shadow fell across her form.

"You're late."

"Sorry, I got slowed up by a large dangling Barbie doll on steroids."

"Hn." Hiei turned around, but Kagome caught sight of a slight grin on his face as he moved out into the courtyard.

When it had become apparent to Genkai that Kagome was mastering control over her powers much faster than expected, the aged psychic had decided to expand the girl's training into new fields. After browbeating him for about two hours Genkai had gotten Hiei to agree to teach Kagome the use of the sword. Chuu had agreed to teach her grappling and Yusuke was teaching the oh so joyful art of street fighting. As well as all of this Kagome was still expected to do her regular training with Genkai, keep up with her archery, learn about plants and such with Kurama, and spend some time in the library each day studying the ancient scrolls there. Sighing to herself Kagome rose and began going through her stretches. With so much on her plate is was a wonder she still managed to slip in several hours of sleep each night. Thankfully she was granted Saturdays off, and she often spent the day in quiet relaxation. 'Or, more recently laughing my ass off.' Kagome thought wryly, recalling the fire-ant fiasco. That one had her laughing hysterically for hours, and even now as she thought about it a light giggle escaped.

"What are you giggling about, woman?"

Kagome sighed again as she straightened up from her position, and shot a glare at the stoic demon before her.

"What have I said about calling me that, Hiei? You know my name so use it."

"Hn."

Kagome frowned to herself as she followed Hiei out into the courtyard. She was completely confused about him, ever since that first afternoon the youkai had avoided her like the plague. It was as if that kiss had never happened. 'Well who knows what's going on in that little firebaby's mind.' Kagome thought to herself, as she lifted her leg upwards for some deep hamstring stretches. As soon as her warm-up exercises were finished Kagome stood and made her way to where Hiei was waiting impatiently.

"First Kata!" Hiei barked out, and Kagome instantly got into the correct starting position for the prescribed series of movements. "Hajime!(3)"

Kagome instantly began to move her body in studied graceful movements, swiftly and accurately completing the first Kata of her lesson. When she was done she held her final position until Hiei spoke again.

"Fourth Kata. Hajime!"

Her sword whistled through the air as Kagome followed the commands of her teacher. After going through several more Kata's Hiei made the sign for Kagome to stand down. Then he proceeded to draw his own blade and go over some new techniques with Kagome. After two hours of technique development Hiei called the session to a close and Kagome gratefully sunk down on the edge of the engawa.

"Jeez this isn't getting any easier, my shoulders are killing me." Kagome grumbled as she stretched her arms above her head in an attempt to loosen her aching muscles.

"Be grateful you haven't started sparing with him yet." Kagome looked up to see Yusuke standing behind and to the left of her holding up a very cold looking bottle of water.

"I don't even want to think about that yet." Kagome groaned, and gratefully reached out for the bottle Yusuke handed to her as he sat down beside her, "I have a feeling I'll be ending up on my back more often then not." Yusuke nearly choked on his own water as a sudden image of Kagome naked, on her back and underneath him, flashed through his head.

"*cough* Well I do have some good news for you." He said, slightly louder then necessary since he was trying to hide his discomfort. Kagome took a swig of her water and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Please tell me that you guys finally got that smell out of the kitchen. If I have to endure flash fried dryer lint for one more night…"

Yusuke let out a bark of laughter as the memory of that prank replaced the naughty image of Kagome in his head.

"Well I'm not sure if the smell is still there or not, but chances are you won't be eating diner here anyway." Kagome raised an inquiring eyebrow as the Sprit Detective grinned cockily beside her.

"Care to elaborate? Or would you prefer to just sit there and grin like a deranged clown."

Yusuke faked a sad expression.

"I'm hurt Kagome, and here I am already to take you back home for a visit." He barely held onto his water as he was suddenly hugged by a very happy Kagome.

"Oh do you mean it Yusuke!? I can visit my family tonight?" Kagome looked up at him her blue eyes filled with hope, and Yusuke couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah, Genkai thinks it would be a good for you. Plus she says you need more clothes and stuff, you can't keep doing laundry everyday."

Kagome smile widened and she stood up enthusiastically.

"When do we leave?" She said clapping her hands together in excitement.

"As soon as I finish my water." Yusuke replied lazily, taking a small sip from the bottle in his hand and smiling cheekily.

"Oh well in that case." Kagome replied her tone a little too sweet for Yusuke's liking. Without warning Kagome's hand shot out and Yusuke found himself soaking wet from the contents of his water bottle.

* * *

There is something innately soothing about trains. The gentle rocking of the cars and the soft clanging of the tracks somehow set a soothing background to any situation. However this was not the case with Yusuke Urameshi, currently Urameshi-san was trying very hard to keep his hormones under control. Kagome had taken advantage of the empty car and long train ride to catch up on her sleep, and she was currently using a very 'happy' Detective as a pillow. Yusuke grit his teeth and tried everything he could think of to just calm down. 'Damn this just isn't working.' He thought as Kagome let out a soft moan and snuggled further into his warmth. Usually a mental picture of Kuwabara naked was enough to cool his raging hormones but tonight it just wasn't cutting it. Desperate Yusuke formed a picture of Kuwabara and Takanaka-sensei, his old teacher, naked together. While this series of images did manage to help him gain control, it also managed to make him quite ill, enough so that when Kagome's stop was finally called out he gratefully gathered the girl up in his arms and carried her out instead of waking her.

"Eh? Are we there already?" A slightly sleepy voice questioned from his arms. Yusuke looked down and couldn't help but smile at the picture Kagome made in his arms. Her eyes were only half open and glazed over from sleep and she blinked owlishly up at him. He groaned internally as the unbidden thought of how she looked like she had just come from a bout of wild sex flitted across his mind, and he instantly felt himself harden again. Gently putting down the groggy girl Yusuke thanked every Kami that was listening for the loose training pants he was currently wearing.

"Yeah we're here, you feeling better now?"

Kagome smiled warmly and nodded her head.

"Much, I can't wait to get home. I miss my Mama's cooking." Kagome licked her lips in anticipation. Her mother had been so happy to hear from her, and when Kagome had mentioned she was coming home for a visit she just about cried over the phone. Kagome had high hopes for an Oden dinner this evening.

"That good huh?" Yusuke asked, grinning as he noticed the starved look on Kagome's face.

"You'll be ruined for every other woman once you have a taste." Kagome responded. Yusuke bit back another groan as more images popped into his head, he just prayed he could make it to her house. Once there he was positive that the constant presence of her mother would significantly cool the raging fire that Kagome stirred in his body.

Kagome quickly made her way through the train station, and only paused a brief moment to scan her J-card through the turn-still. Yusuke quickly followed, and caught up with her as they exited out of the station and into the late afternoon sun.

The streets were filled with people coming home from school or work, or shopping for that night's meal. Kagome expertly weaved her way through the crowd, nodding her head and smiling at those people she recognized, she was finally back in her own safe little neighborhood and she couldn't be happier.

"Hey Kagome! Wait!!" Kagome paused and looked behind her in surprise as she heard someone call out her name. Yusuke stood besides her watching curiously as three girls dressed in green sailor uniforms converged upon the startled girl.

"Oh Kagome-chan it's been such a long time since we've seen you. Have you recovered from your bout with lymes disease?" Asked the girl with short-cropped hair. Kagome held her hands up in a placating gesture and smiled wanly.

"Hi Yuka, Eri, Ayumi, nice to see you guys. Yeah, I'm all better now. I'm just here visiting my family now."

"That's right we heard that you had gone to some temple in the middle of nowhere." Yuka said, "You're going to become a priestess right? Lucky you."

"Well I suppose it's for the best." Ayumi spoke up, "With all the school you've missed it would be very difficult to graduate."

"Yeah, at least I have an option with the Shrine." Kagome said smiling weakly.

"You could always just marry Hojo, he's got a great chance of getting into Tokyo U after graduation, and a great job after that." Eri said slyly, "Hojo-kun would be a great husband for you Kagome."

Yusuke let out a snort of disbelief, 'no way some goody-goody nerd boy is going to get anywhere with Kagome.' He raised an eyebrow as he noticed that all four girls were staring at him. Yusuke was wearing a tight black T-shirt that molded to his abs and the loose dark blue fighting pants he had worn in the dark tournament. He had not bothered to gel his hair back this morning so it fell freely about his face.

"Kagome…" Eri asked, eyeing the boy like a piece of meat, "Who is this?"

"Oh I'm sorry I forgot to introduce everyone. Guys meet Yusuke Urameshi, he's my…"

"I'm her boyfriend." Yusuke cut in. At the mention of his name all three girls had gone white, but with the announcement of his 'relationship' with Kagome their mouths hung open with shock. Kagome had turned and was staring at him with a dumbfounded expression on her face, so she was completely taken by surprise when Yuka grabbed her arm and she was forcibly dragged away.

"Huddle!"

The three schoolgirls surrounded the dazed Kagome and began firing questions at her.

"What is it with you and bad boys?"

"What happened to the two-timer?"

"Do you have any idea of who that guy is?" This last was hissed by Eri, who snuck a quick peek at the boy standing not to far away.

"Yusuke?" Kagome queried, unsure of what Eri was talking about.

"That's the Great Urameshi, he's the toughest kid in the whole city. Rumor has it that he was hit by a car and walked away without a scratch."

Kagome, who had already heard the story of Yusuke's first death, stifled a giggle at the inventive retelling of the tale.

"This isn't funny Kagome, that guy is really dangerous. You could get hurt."

Kagome shook her head in denial.

"I'm fine you guys, Yusuke would never hurt me. He's my friend." Kagome stood up and backed out of the huddle, "I got to go, my Mom is expecting us, and I don't want to keep her waiting. See you later" She grabbed Yusuke's hand and ran off before they could say anything else.

The two of them were laughing hysterically by the time they reached the Shrine steps, and Yusuke was pleased to note that Kagome still hadn't released his hand.

"What on earth possessed you to tell them that you were my boyfriend?" Kagome asked panting slightly from the run and laughter.

"The look on your face when that guy was mentioned reminded me of the time we got Kuwabara to eat a whole lemon. I thought they might lay off if they thought you were already taken."

"Ha! You don't know my friends. They have it in their heads that Hojo is perfect for me. They'll never give up."

Yusuke's grin widened and they both turned to look up the stairs to the Higurashi Shrine.

"Hey Yusuke."

"Hmmmm."

"Remember when you offered to carry me up Genkai's stairs that one time?"

"Yeah."

"Is the offer still open?"

Yusuke raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Why Kagome I thought you didn't want to be coddled. You said you wanted to become stronger, so you wouldn't have to rely on others."

"Yeah, but I'm too tired to be noble right now."

"You're right screw the stairs." And with that Yusuke grabbed a startled Kagome in his arms and promptly jumped up the set of stairs.

"Oh my God that was awesome!" Kagome cried out gleefully as they landed smoothly on the top of the stairs. Their laughter floated out around the yard and soon the residents of the house were alerted to the two teenager's presence.

"It's Kagome! Hey Mom Kagome's here!" Souta yelled out before running out of the house and launching himself at his big sister.

"Hey squirt, how have you been?" Kagome said, giving her little brother a big hug.

"I've missed you a lot Kagome, and don't call me squirt."

Kagome ruffled his hair affectionately and moved forward motioning Yusuke to follow. When she entered the house Mrs. Higurashi was waiting in the foyer her hands clasped nervously in front of her. As soon as Kagome caught sight of her, all pretenses of mature adulthood vanished and she was six years old again.

"Mama!" The young cry cried out before launching herself into her mother's waiting arms. Yusuke watched the mother and daughter reunion feeling awkward and out of place. He shifted his eyes to the side noticing an old man dressed in temple robes eyeing him suspiciously.

"Demon be gone!!" The old man suddenly yelled sticking several strips of paper on the confused boy.

"What the Fuck!!" Yusuke yelled falling back as the strips of paper stuck to his face and arms.

"Oh, jii-chan! Yusuke's a friend of mine from the temple!" Kagome cried out in exasperation, "Now put those things away! Not like they ever do any good anyway." The last sentence was mumbled under her breath, but Yusuke caught it anyway and smirked as he peeled the strips of paper off.

"What the heck are these things?" He grumbled staring at the strip of paper covered in strange symbols.

"Those are just Jii-chan's ofudas." Kagome said, not bothering to hide the wide smile on her face, "Don't worry he only does it the first time he meets you."

"Well isn't that a relief." Yusuke grit out, trying to pull one stubborn strip out of his hair.

"Kagome dear," Mrs. Higurashi queried softly from the entrance hall, "Why don't you introduce your friend."

"Oh of course! I'm so sorry how rude of me." Kagome stood a little sheepishly, "This is Urameshi Yusuke, he is a friend from Genkai's Temple. Yusuke, this is my mom, my Grandfather, and my little brother, Souta."

Yusuke gave a slight bow in greeting, still keeping a watchful eye on the old man.

"Urameshi?!" Souta exclaimed excitedly, "The Great Urameshi?!"

Kagome giggled into her hand and after kicking off her shoes, walked further into the house.

"Yeah that would be me, but I don't really…" Yusuke began, edging around the overly excited boy, trying to follow Kagome.

"I've heard all about you!" Souta interrupted, "You're the toughest guy in the whole city. Is it true you got hit by a car and didn't even get a scratch?" Souta was practically vibrating in excitement now.

"No, that's not exactly right…" Yusuke had managed to remove his shoes and make it into the house.

"Do you fight Demons too? Is that how you know Kagome? Do you beat them up, or do you have a weapon? Inu Yasha ni-chan had a sword. Do you have a sword?"

"Ummm…"

"Enough Souta, leave the poor boy alone." Mrs. Higurashi shooed her youngest child away from the uncomfortable teenager. Kagome smiled softly at her younger brother's disappointed expression and laughed.

"Why don't you show Yusuke that new game you were telling me about, Souta?" Kagome suggested softly, "I know for a fact that he likes video games almost as much as you." Souta looked hopefully up at Yusuke, who looked a lot happier with the mention of mindless video-game violence. When the older boy smiled and nodded his head, Souta let out a whoop of joy and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the TV.

After standing and watching them play for a couple minutes, Kagome decided to take this time to pack. She would prefer Yusuke not hang around as she packed her clothes. When she entered her room Kagome's eyes began to water as she noticed two new large book bags sitting on her bed, just waiting to be filled with necessities. 'Oh mom, no matter how much you hate to let me go you're still helping me along.' Kagome knew how difficult this was for her mother, to constantly watch as Kagome walked away, a great deal of the time into dangerous situations. Yet still she did her best to help her daughter in the path she must walk.

Kagome packed one bag with additional clothing and shoes, as well as more hair ties and a new brush that her mother had left out for her. Finally she'd have more than three pairs of panties, the one's she'd been using had been getting rather threadbare. The second bag was packed with some extra toiletries and some personal items that she had missed greatly during her time away from home. Soon both bags were full to bursting and Kagome managed to muscle the heavy bags out of the room and down the hall. She decided to leave them there until it was time to leave, no sense in having them get in the way downstairs.

As she came down the stairs Kagome noticed Yusuke and Souta still sitting in front of the TV playing their game. Shaking her head in amusement she exited out of the house and walked quickly towards the comforting branches of the Goshinboku. Abandoning her shoes to the slick grass Kagome clambered up the sacred tree's rough bark to the branch that had come to mean so much to her. It was Inu Yasha's branch, the one he always sat upon when waiting for Kagome to come back from a visit home. The branch had come to hold a very special place in her heart, for months after the well had sealed Kagome's eyes would stray to the Goshinboku and to the branch, almost expecting to see Inu Yasha sitting there, the same grumpy look on his face.

But Inu Yasha had never turned up, nor would he, locked in the past as he was. Kagome sighed and stretched out on the branch leaning up against the wide trunk of the ancient tree. She had received her first kiss on this branch, 500 years in the past. Her last night in the past, the Shikon whole and Naraku defeated, Kagome had hoped for her fairy tale ending. But fairy tales only happened in books, and no matter how much she wished otherwise, Kagome's life was not a book, and fairy tale endings were not for her.

"Hey Kagome! Whatcha doing?" She glanced down to see an amused Yusuke standing beneath the rustling branches of the sacred tree.

"Hi Yusuke! Nothing much, just thinking." Kagome replied lightly leaning forward so that her legs straddled the thick branch and she rested her chin on her hands.

"Well move over, cause I'm coming up!" And before Kagome could react Yusuke had leaped up and gracefully landed on the branch.

"Don't get me wrong, you're brother's a great kid, but I can't take any more questions right now." Yusuke sighed in exasperation before plopping down in front of the startled priestess. Kagome stifled a giggle, and sat up straight her legs still dangling over the sides of the branch.

"He did the same thing with Inu Yasha, and Inu Yasha always did the same thing as you." When Yusuke gave her a confused look Kagome explained further, "He would always leap up onto this branch seeking some peace and quiet. Even in the past you could almost always find him on this branch, just sitting quietly." Kagome sighed and looked forlornly at the well house, "Sometimes I think it was the only time he was actually at peace."

"Do you miss him?" Yusuke asked, noticing the sad look in Kagome's eyes. She looked at him in surprise, then smiled softly.

"Very much so. I miss them all very much."

They sat in silence for a while, neither one feeling the need to speak. Yusuke puzzled over the mystery of the girl before him. While he and the others knew the basic story of her journeys to the past and the adventures she had had, they actually knew very little of the specifics. How had the hardships faced and the terrors felt changed the young girl she must have been? What made her so cheerful and carefree one instant, and sad and withdrawn the next? Had she suffered? Had she cried? Had she laughed and loved? Did she still love? He was dying to know, yet he could not bring himself to ask. Luckily Kagome solved his dilemma for him.

"I never liked the well house you know." She said suddenly, knocking Yusuke out of his thoughts, "It was dark and scary, and it smelled funny. I always avoided it when I was younger. But that day, when it all began, I had just turned 14 and I thought 'come on Kagome, you're practically grown up. This is not the time to be scared of an empty well house.' So I went in and… well let's just say I found more than my cat." Kagome sighed and looked up into the sky. Night was falling, but the lights from the nearby city obscured any sight of the stars.

"Will you tell me?" Yusuke suddenly heard himself asking, "Will you tell me what really happened?"

Kagome remained silent for a moment, and at first Yusuke thought that she had chosen to remain silent, but then she started to speak and she told him.

She spoke of a priestess, whose own purity created a gem of immense power. She told him of an evil man who desired the gem's guardian. The sad story of a doomed love between a priestess and an inu-hanyou was conveyed. She let him know of the orphaned kit, who had called her mother. The lecherous monk with a cursed hand stood beside the demon slayer who had lost everything. A wolf who had loved deeply and fought fiercely, as well as the Lord who had felt nothing save for a small human child, were woven in. She spoke of the wounds suffered, of the battles won and lost. She spoke of laughter and joy, pain and suffering, hopes and longings. She spoke of new friends and lost allies. Sometimes he laughed at her words, and at other times he held back tears. She continued to speak, as the sky darkened into night and the birds ceased to sing. He learned of the horrible deeds of the dark hanyou, and growled at the betrayal of the undead priestess. And as she continued to speak, though she said nothing about it, he saw the bravery and compassion and infinite wisdom of one single person as she gave everything she had and more to battle an evil that should never have walked the earth. He saw the bright shining light that pushed away the sorrow of others and bound them together as friends. And as she finished and spoke no more, Yusuke, for the first time in his life, felt his heart warm and spill over. He knew, even before she turned and faced him, that he would love this glorious creature until the end of his days.

He barely registered the call for diner coming from the house, yet he noticed Kagome's face brightening in genuine joy, and he registered the tugging on his arm as she laughingly told him to hurry up. Still in a daze he followed her as she softly dropped from the tree and, barely pausing to grab her shoes, ran into the warmth of the house.

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If you love me let me know in a review! Also I would like some ideas for funny pranks. These guys are tough so anything goes, let your imagination go wild!


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